Amaranth
by Strike To Incinerate
Summary: -Sareena x SubZero.- Sub-Zero had certainly not asked for a wife... but the Elder Gods, in their infinite wisdom, had decided to give him one.
1. How Very Odd

Author's Note: Let's see here... I was working on a different Sareena/Sub Zero fanfiction, but it was getting too cuddly. So, I decided to put it on the back burner and go with another idea.

This one is probably equally lame, but hey. It seems more interesting to write.

Here we go.

--

**Amaranth**

**Another Sareena/Sub-Zero fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.**

**Very slightly AU. Okay, slightly AU. It's still within the canon, mostly!**

--

Sub-Zero, the Grand Master of the Lin Kuei warriors, had certainly not asked for a wife.

But yet, the Elder Gods, in their infinite wisdom, had decided to give him one.

In fact, it seemed rather stupid.

Their reasoning was, as follows.

"Well, you've been a great help in keeping the realms in balance. We thought it would be a nice gift, since there aren't a lot of women in the Artika region. I mean, we picked a good looking one. There's nothing wrong with her. Besides, she needs a viable reason to stay in Earthrealm. You're a good guy, aren't you?"

His new bride, was in, fact rather good looking... but she was not human.

Which was the most ridiculous part about it.

She was a demoness. Exactly how was a demoness, born in the hellfires of the Netherrealm, supposed to live in the Artika region? It was the exact opposite of Hell; it was so cold! He'd gotten used to it, but she would not.

Nevermind the fact that she was a demoness.

Why would a demoness want to live in Earthrealm, besides? Didn't they like it in their ever-burning hell?

Apparently, she was a very odd demoness.

He rubbed his temples in frustration. He was getting quite the headache, thinking all of these thoughts.

Okay, his lovely new bride was a demoness.

Fine, he could deal with that.

But no one had asked him if he had enough time to deal with a wife!

He certainly did not. He had to be the Leader of the Lin Kuei. He had to make sure that Earthrealm wasn't invaded. He had to train the younger acolytes. And if anyone had problems, he was the go-to guy.

His plate was full enough without a simpering wife, thank you, very much.

She was staring at him, sitting on his bed. It was large enough for two, he admitted. It was covered in warm furs, and there was a small fireplace at the back of the room. She, however, was still wearing a heavy jacket (the Thunder God's wedding gift to her, probably some stupid idea of a joke), and her white dress under it.

She probably had no idea why human women wore white dresses on their wedding day. It was in fact, to symbolize purity and virginity, something he gathered that she knew nothing about. It annoyed him to no end.

If they were to give him a wife, couldn't they have given him a nice Edenian girl or something?

"I'm nice," she said, almost reading his mind, patting the spot beside her. "I won't bite or anything. Unless you're into that. We could do that, if you want," she said to him.

That was the oddest sexual proposition he had ever heard. He frowned, and said firmly, "No. You stay on your side of the bed, and I'll stay on mine, do you understand?"

She nodded, with a light shrug. "My name is Sareena, you know," she pointed out.

"Yes, I'm well-aware."

"I'm not all that bad, I promise," she said.

"I'm sure you're a very polite, well-mannered demoness," he agreed, sitting on the bed... as far from her as possible.

She cringed at the mention of her heritage. "Could you be a little nicer?" she asked him. "I know I'm a total burden on you, but you don't have to insult me."

"You are a demoness," he pointed out.

She flopped down on the bed, muttering, "You would never understand... you go ahead and stay on your side of the bed," as she pulled one of the fur pelts over herself. Still wearing the jacket, and the dress beneath that.

He sighed.

Tomorrow was going to be a fabulous day, indeed.

--

When he awoke, she was already dressed, sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at him again.

"Good morning, groom," she said plainly.

She was dressed in a drastically different way than the day before. While she had been fully covered, in layers the day before, today, she was barely covering anything at all. The thick, studded leather brassiere certainly didn't leave anything to the imagination, and neither did the leather shorts or loincloth. She was wearing less make-up, as well, her moon-light colored eyes seeming less bright, but more alert and focused. Her lips, yesterday painted red, were now a normal pink color, but retained the same fullness.

Something nagged at him in the back of his mind.

His new wife was very, very attractive despite her demonic heritage. Very, very attractive.

"Don't call me that," he told her firmly, sitting up. "And put on some clothing," he added, getting out of bed.

"I did," she replied quickly. "I like this outfit, and I think you like it, too," she said. "So... what should I call you?" she asked.

"Grand Master, in front of the acolytes," he responded, beginning to change into his regular uniform. His cheeks were unpleasantly warm, because he knew she was watching him. She was a very odd demoness. "Sub-Zero, in front of my allies."

"That's not a name," she said, her lips forming a pout. "What's your name, groom?"

He frowned again. "You don't need to know my name, woman," he said, placing his mask over his face. "You are free to wander the halls of this temple," he told her. "I have to resume my duties."

She rolled her eyes. "What if I get lost?" she asked him.

"You're a demoness. I think you'll be fine," he said.

Again, she frowned at being called a demoness, and he was once more reminded of her oddness. "Don't you think you should introduce me to the acolytes or something? Won't they think it's weird that a woman is just wandering around?" she pressed.

His patience was wearing thin, but he took in a deep breath, and said, "They were present at the ceremony yesterday. They know who you are, Sareena."

"No, only half of them were present!" she protested. And she was right; only half of them had been present. Tactically speaking, to have the entire force of the Lin Kuei distracted with an unplanned wedding ceremony would have left them wide open to an attack. He couldn't have that.

It seemed that she would not let it go. "Alright... I'll show you around, but only once. After that, you have to find your own way around," he told her.

She nodded. "Okay!" she said, standing up and stretching out her arms. This caused a lift in her brassiere... unintentionally, he stared. "Haha, caught ya. I knew you like this outfit," she said, grinning.

He shook his head. That one had been a freebie... "Let's go," he said, walking out of the room, with her in tow.

--

As he had expected, almost every Lin Kuei acolyte knew who she was. Some of them were a little too kind, and they even bowed. She was outgoing, greeting them all individually, bowing back when the oppurtunity arose, smiling and saying how grateful she was to be there.

It made him uneasy.

The warriors actually seemed to like her.

How very _odd._

Then again, maybe he was the only one who _didn't_ like her.

He brought her through all of the rooms and all of the halls of the temple, until they ended up outside of his bedroom again. Their bedroom.

"See? That wasn't so bad," she said, grinning a little.

"Yes, but it took more than an hour," he said.

"Oh, and it's just so unacceptable that you'd show your new wife around, huh?" she responded. "Have fun at work," she told him, as he walked off.

She was most definitely getting on his nerves.

--

The sun was setting when Sareena walked into the man hall, a rather bored look on her face. The students were practicing their forms, and the Grand Master was overseeing the teachings.

She walked up to him, seeming not to care that he was busy. After all, he didn't look that busy to her; he was just watching everyone else train. "When's dinner?" she asked him plainly, folding her arms over her chest... mocking him.

"Stop that," he said, unfolding his own arms, letting them hang at his side. "We'll eat dinner after this," he told her.

She also unfolded her arms. "Why not now?" she asked him.

Again with the questions!

"Because... I'm busy right now," he told her, trying to keep cool.

"But I'm bored out of my mind, and I'm hungry. There was nothing to do all day," she complained, and he gave her a sharp look.

"Well then... tomorrow, would you like to assist me in training the young ones?" he offered.

She shrugged. "I've got my own way of fighting," she replied. "And, you don't really want me to, anyway."

She was right about that.

"You'll find a way to occupy your time," he said. "I don't care what you do, as long as you don't bother me."

She sighed. "Yeah, thanks for all your help..." she said, placing her hands on her hips as she walked away.

He had to try very hard not to stare at her hips. They moved back and forth a lot when she did that annoyed little stroll.

--

Dinner was eaten in relative silence, to his surprise. Apparently, the only time the demoness was quiet was when she was stuffing her face.

He could tell, though, that she wasn't pleased about sitting two seats away from him, between his liutenant and one of the teachers.

She had wanted to sit next to him, the only person in the entire temple that she had spoken more than two sentances to.

Well, that was just too bad for her.

After the meal was finished, he saw a couple of the younger children stop Sareena on her way back to the bedroom. She was kind, she smiled at them, and patted one, a small boy, on the head, before continuing on her way.

Again, it made him uneasy.

Was she actually a nice demoness?

_Odd_. It was a word he found himself overusing as of late, but it was the only word that fit.

His new wife was very _odd._

And also very attractive.

--

Yeah, this will be having more chapters. Cuz... I decided. Review, plox.


	2. Far Too Disconcerting

Author's Note: Whoo hoo, chapter two. Figured that I'd keep going while I'm on a roll.

Anyway, woot.

--

**Amaranth**

**A Sareena x Sub-Zero fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.**

**Only a little AU. Just barely.**

--

Around noon the next day, Sub-Zero was alarmed to hear commotion in the courtyard. Instantly, his mind swirled with plans of attack, retaliations, how to minimalize casualties...

When he saw that it was his new wife causing all of the commotion, he was rather confused.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching as she stood, half standing on a pile of unconscious Lin Kuei warriors, a serrated blade in hand. Her leather skirt had ridden up, exposing black underwear.

She was grinning. "Occupying my time, you know... I was bored again. You told me not to bother you," she replied.

"Put your leg down," he seethed, and she did so.

"You know, it's not my fault that I'm good-looking," she informed him. "Or that you have a dirty mind."

"I swear, woman!" he roared. "What made you think that knocking out my sentries was a constructive way to occupy your time?"

"Ugh, you're right..." she said, and for a moment, he almost thought that she had seen his point. "I didn't even break a sweat. What do you teach these guys, anyway?"

Less than two days, and he was at the breaking point.

Why could she just sit somewhere and read a book or something?!

"Sorry," she apologized lamely. Her sword disappated in a puff of black smoke. "I didn't think you'd be all that mad... I thought you'd be, you know, impressed," she said.

He thought about that for a moment... well, it was rather impressive, he had to grudgingly admit. She hadn't broken a sweat, and there wasn't a scratch or bruise on her. It didn't look like they had touched her at all, and there seemed to be seven or eight warriors in that pile.

"Well," he began gruffly. "At least you're good at something."

She beamed at him, and he felt his heart melt a little.

It was disconcerting.

--

He hadn't seen her for the rest of the day, after scolding her for diminishing their man-power.

However, none of the warriors really seemed to mind. In fact, they seemed proud that the Grand Master's wife was such a skilled fighter.

She wasn't a simpering woman.

He frowned.

He wished she was; maybe someone would be on his side about the whole situation, then. As it was, no one felt sympathy for him at all; his new wife was gorgeous, a great fighter, and a charismatic demoness.

It really wasn't fair.

Most people would consider themselves very lucky, but all he saw was a burden.

A burden comprised of beautiful, toned thighs, a trim stomach, lean arms, a round backside, and a great rack.

He slammed his fist down on the desk.

Very, very disconcerting.

So he picked up the phone, and called his close friend and ally, Liu Kang. Liu, who was always trying to juggle his duty as Champion of the Elder Gods with his relationship with Edenian princess Kitana, would understand this better than anyone. After all, at least he had consensually entered his relationship.

"Hey man, what's going on? Long time no see," the former Shaolin monk greeted him.

"Hello, Liu. Thanks for answering," he replied.

"No problem, you're just lucky. You caught me at a good time," Liu said. "So, what's up? What's new with the Lin Kuei?"

Now, it was time to talk about the issue at hand. "I got married," he said tonelessly.

"Wow, really?" Liu sounded surprised. "Congratulations, man. Who's the lucky lady?" he asked.

"Lucky? I wish," Sub-Zero said, sighing. "The Elder Gods basically dumped her on my doorstep, a punishment labelled as a gift for my 'hard work'. It's driving me insane," he explained.

"That sounds so unlike them."

"Doesn't it just?" Sub-Zero said with a mocking laugh. "I'm not even finished. She's a demoness... you know, the kind from the Netherrealm?"

"What?!"

"Indeed."

"So you're saying that the Elder Gods came down from on high, handed you a demoness and told you to live happily ever after with that?" Liu kang recapped it all.

"Yes."

"I am so sorry."

"It isn't your fault," he replied.

"Well... uh, why don't you let me throw you a bachelor party or something?" he offered. "I mean, I know you guys are already married, but it might be nice. I'll bring Sonya and Jax, too... and Jade and Kung Lao. And Johnny, of course. That way, everyone can meet her. You can just relax a bit."

Hanging out with the guys sounded nice.

In fact, at this point, it sounded fantastic. So, he agreed.

"Good, good!" Liu said encouragingly. "It'll be fun, so don't worry. And Kitana loves planning stuff like this. We're free next weekend, so we'll all come up then, cool?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'll just give everyone the day off," he agreed. "I'll see you then."

He hung up the phone, and sighed. It had been a good talk... he felt ready to go find Sareena and tell her about the party.

--

"A party? What's that?" she asked him.

He had forgotten that she had no knowledge of Earthrealm customs. "It's a gathering, where people eat and drink and socialize," he explained to her.

"Will there be fighting?" she asked hopefully.

He shook his head. "No... but you'll get to meet my allies. Some of them are women. Would you like that?" he asked her.

She nodded quickly. "It sounds like fun. Next weekend, right?" she clarified. "I'm looking forward to it."

He began to walk away when she called to him. He stopped. "You know what's ironic?" she asked.

_'That a person who's led a life full of good was married off to a demoness?'_

"This place used to be a temple to a fire priestess. A seer, or something. Weird, huh?" she told him.

She'd been in the library, doing something constructive... like he'd told her to do. "Yes, it is rather ironic," he agreed.

"It explains why there's so many statues of the woman with the veil over her eyes..." she continued. "Although, they're kind of pretty. Do you ever feel like she's looking back at you?" she asked him, cocking her head to one side.

In fact, he had. He nodded.

"Me, too... like she's watching over the temple from the inside..." she laughed a little. "Isn't that weird?"

Not as weird as the way he liked to hear her laugh.

Far too disconcerting.

--

Less than an hour after they had gone to bed, Sub-Zero felt something brush against his waist, underneath the thick fur pelt.

He blinked his eyes open, adjusting to the dim lighting. "Sareena?" For the past two nights, she had stuck to their agreement, keeping on her designated side of the bed.

He lifted up the pelt a bit, and saw that it was her left arm that had brushed against his waist. She was still a foot from him... but she was tossing and turning, and ever so slowly moving closer to him.

"Sareena, stop it, I'm trying to sleep," he told her, rolling onto his side, facing away from the demoness.

Now, her fingertips were brushing against his back.

He glared at her over his shoulder, but she still seemed to be asleep.

She rolled closer to him.

He rolled away.

Again, she inched closer.

He was on the edge of the bed.

She was doing it on purpose, he realized. And he got annoyed at it... until he saw her shiver, and blink her eyes open. "Sorry..." she mumbled, and began to retreat to her side of the bed.

He caught her wrist, sighing. He had known that she wouldn't be able to stand the cold. "Were you having trouble sleeping?" he asked her.

She nodded, thinking that maybe he was just nicer at night. "Yeah... it's so cold here... I tried really hard not to let it bother me... but it makes it hard to fall asleep. I didn't mean to wake you."

He raised a brow. "So, what did you mean to do?" he asked.

She was so pretty, with her head resting on the pillow, less than a foot from him, looking at him with heavy-lidded snow-colored eyes. "Well, I was trying not to wake you, so that I could get close to you and be warm," she said quietly.

"Really?" he asked plainly.

She nodded, holding back a sneeze.

Well, at least she was not lying. "Fine... you can come closer," he acquiesced.

"Really?"

"Really."

She scooted closer to him, tentatively laying against his side... then, resting her head on his chest. Her arm slid over his waist.

Now he had goosebumps, too.

"Warmer?" he asked her.

She nodded. "Yes, thank you," she said, her breath cool against his skin. Against his better judgement, he wrapped an arm around her, keeping her close.

It was disconcerting, how well she fit there next to him.

Far too disconcerting.

--

End of chapter two. Review, plox.


	3. She's Alright

Author's Note: Thanks to Demon Wraith for reviewing. I really appreciate it. If anyone's, you know, lurking around, reading this story without reviewing, go check out his story, 'Mortal Kombat Konquest: Sub Zero and Sareena.' It's really good. *^^*

Also, thanks to Violet for reviewing. Always nice to see another Sareena/Sub-Zero fan on the site. We're a very small minority. Canon pairings ftw. Anyway, you should get an account on the site, ya know? It's free, and I'd be able to personally respond to your reviews...

I'm trying to make the chapters longer, but really... I'm just writing whatever pops into my head. I have a rough outline of where this story is going to go. Still not sure on most of it. This chapter is a bit longer than the others, though... well, more than a bit. It's about 1,000 words longer.

Plot development! It begins in the next chapter, which will be up as soon as I finish it and get two reviews for this one! Honestly, that's not a huge target.

Anyway... time to continue! Sub-Zero needs his bachelor party, after all.

--

**Amaranth**

**Another Sareena/Sub-Zero fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.**

**Just the teensiest bit AU. Champions of Earthrealm can have bachelor parties, okay?**

--

The following weekend had approached at a pace that Sub-Zero had found himself entirely uncomfortable with. As Sareena had KO'd eight sentries, others had to pick up the slack, including himself. He had become more absorbed in his work, leading scouting parties so that a captain could keep watch over the acolytes.

It had not helped that Sareena had begun a count-down to her very first party.

Yes, her party. The way she saw it, it was no his bachelor party, but her debut. Which was fine with him, he just wished she wouldn't constantly remind him of how excited she was to meet all of his friends...

Well, it was kind of cute. She was like a little kid waiting for her birthday. Demons didn't have birthdays, either, did they?

He shook his head.

His wife was most definitely a distraction.

But with every day that passed, he became more acclimated to her presence, and he feared that he was actually starting to like her.

In any case, Saturday had arrived, and Sareena was dressed in a moderately appropriate outfit; black short pants and a tight, black and dark blue corset.

He thought she looked much better in navy than in red. Red was just such a bright, disturbing color... it reminded him of blood, although blood was generally a darker, almost brown color when there was a lot of it.

Still, it was just imagery association.

Liu Kang and Kitana were the first to arrive, with Jax, Sonya and Johnny Cage in tow. After all, as the only non-human in the bunch, Kitana was the only one with the ability to teleport, and thus, safely get them all to the Artika region.

Sub-Zero smiled as he greeted his guests. "Welcome," he told them. Sareena hung back, suddenly shy.

"Long time no see!" Johnny was the first to walk up and pat him on the shoulder. "Liu told all of us about you guys getting hitched. She's the girl, right?" he said, looking over Sub-Zero's shoulder at Sareena.

Sareena nodded, stepping forward. "I'm Sareena. It's nice to meet you," she said.

"Nice to meet you, too," Johnny replied, resisting the urge to hit on her. If she had been any less married, he would have... but Johnny wasn't sure of how protective the Lin Kuei Grand Master was of his new bride.

Sub-Zero gave him an odd look; he had almost expected the film star to say something to her, and he was a bit confused that he had not.

But he cleared his throat and continued with the introductions. "Sareena, this is the Edenian princess, Kitana," he said, motioning to her.

"A pleasure."

"Why, thank you," Kitana replied, giving her a small smile.

"Her fiance, the Champion of the Elder Gods, Liu Kang," Sub-Zero continued.

Liu Kang shrugged. "Don't be so formal, we're friends," he told him, then glanced to Sareena. "Nice to meet you."

She nodded. "You, too," she said.

"Major Jackson Briggs, and Sonya Blade, of the Special Forces," he said, indicating the last two.

Sonya made a small salute, and Jax laughed.

"Yo, it's cool. Nice to meet ya, girl," he said, extending his hand.

Sareena looked at it for a moment, and then up to Sub-Zero. "Just shake it," he instructed her.

She did so, and then pulled her hand away.

"Cute," Jax commented, grinning.

"You are a demoness, correct?" Sonya inquired suddenly. Sareena, taken aback by her upfrontness, only nodded. "What are you doing in Earthrealm? And married?" she asked.

"Sonya, don't start--" Johnny began.

"Well... I..." Sareena began, looking away.

"Because, generally speaking, you are the first demon to leave the Netherrealm for an extended period. You were in the service of Quan Chi, weren't you?" Sonya pressed.

"What business is it of yours--"

"Special Forces," Sonya cut her off.

"Sonya, stop it," Sub-Zero said, placing a hand on her shoulder. The blond woman felt a chill run down her spine, and she glared at him. "This is supposed to be a party, not an interrogation. The Elder Gods sent her to me, and I trust her. Leave it at that," he said. But, she had made good points, and he knew that they would nag at him.

Had Sareena been in service of the Brotherhood of Shadow?

Since she was a demoness, it seemed likely...

he shook his head. He'd talk to her about it later.

"Fine," Sonya agreed.

"Um..." Sareena piped in again. "Please don't try to interrogate me again. I didn't do anything to you, and you have no proof that I might. I've been very polite. I'm not going to let you come in here and badger me like that again. You have no authority over me... I'm Lin Kuei now. Alright?" she told her firmly, her shoulders set.

For a moment, everyone was silent. Even Sub-Zero was tense, trying to fight the urge to smile. It was a good thing he was still wearing the mask...

Because no one talked to Sonya Blade like that.

"Okay, why don't we--" Kitana began, trying to break the ice, as it were.

"Well, I guess you're alright," Sonya sighed. "You want to get a beer?" she offered Sareena.

Sareena cocked her head to one side. "What's beer? Is it tasty?" she asked curiously.

Sonya chuckled, slinging an arm over the demoness's shoulders. "Come on, kiddo..." she said, leading her towards the refreshment's table.

Jax and Johnny both looked at Sub-Zero, flabbergasted, and simultaneously blurted out, "I'm in love with your wife."

"You can have her," he muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

Kitana looked at her watch, and said, "Well, Jade and Kung Lao won't be here for another hour... they promised to pick up Li Mei from Outworld."

"Oh, is Bo Rai Cho coming, too?" Sub-Zero asked.

"No, I thought it would be better if Sareena's first party did not involve her getting groped," Kitana said stiffly, remembering what had happened at Jade's birthday party... and her own anniversary.

Liu Kang nodded towards the refreshments table, where Jax was currently doubled over in pain, holding his crotch, while Sonya shouted at him, and Sareena stood back, looking confused, her cheeks a little red. "Too late," he said simply.

"Well, it looks like Sonya handled it," Sub-Zero noted.

Kitana frowned at him. "What the hell does that mean?" she demanded.

"Huh?" Both men were now confused.

"She's your wife, not Sonya's. You should take care of the problem!" Kitana pointed out.

"But... Sonya already did," Sub-Zero protested.

Liu Kang looked at him, that hopeless, defeated look in his eyes... begging him not to argue with an annoyed Edenian princess.

"You do it! Right now! It's your wife!" Kitana shrilled, pushing him towards the table.

Sub-Zero stumbled, and Sareena grabbed his arm to steady him. He looked at her, and then Jax and Johnny.

"Um... hands off," he told them lamely.

"Dude... _we know..._" they said quietly, as Jax tried to stand up.

"Thanks for the back-up, but your assistance was not needed," Sonya said, glaring at Jax and Johnny.

Sareena looked up at him again. "You want a beer?" she offered, taking a sip of her own. "They're good. They taste kind of bitter... and sour... but they're pretty good," she said.

"Good kid," Sonya said, letting a small smile slip.

Now, even the woman he had thought was hate Sareena, was suddenly best friends with her. Was there any single person who did not like that demoness?!

Nope, just him.

He stomped off to go talk with Liu Kang again, leaving Sareena and Sonya to consume all of the beer and beat any men who tried to touch them.

An hour later, as expected, the party was underway. Jade, Kung Lao, and Li Mei had arrived. Li Mei, of course, was the most excited to meet Sareena, instantly commenting how pretty she was, and how lucky Sub-Zero was to have someone as good-looking as her around. It annoyed him.

Kung Lao was entirely impartial, seeming not to notice that Sareena was good looking, simply introducing himself, and then sauntering away to talk to his own best friend, Liu Kang.

And as far as Jade went, if Kitana and Sonya liked Sareena, that was good enough for her.

Sareena had been officially welcomed into the fold, with almost no hiccups.

"I'm still suspicious of her, you know," Sonya said, leaning up against the wall next to him. "She just had a point, that's all. She hasn't done anything yet," she said, taking a sip of her fifth beer. "And in America, it's innocent until proven guilty."

"We're not in America," Sub-Zero pointed out.

"I know," she agreed. "But, we'll see how things play out. If she starts doing anything conspicuous, let me know," she said, and then walked away.

He looked at Sareena. She was sitting with the other women, laughing at something Jade had said. She looked as if she was having a good time. Li Mei was painting her nails, and Kitana gave him a thumbs up.

Well, at least everyone was getting along.

--

It was late into the night when the guests decided to disperse. Luckily, no one had tried to pull any stunts to make the party get out of hand; no strippers, no truth or dare, nothing like that.

Kitana and Liu Kang left most of the food and alcohal at the temple, and Sonya only took a few beers for the road. Kitana and Jade had promised to check up on them (well, mostly Sareena), and Li Mei had made Sareena promise to visit her in Outworld sometime. Sareena had readily agreed.

He didn't have to ask her if she had enjoyed herself; it was clear that she did. She was smiling, still holding a beer, and her cheeks were pink, probably from the liquor and all of the excitement.

He was feeling more relaxed, too. With Sareena completely occupied by female company, he had been able to chill with the boys.

"That was fun. I like your friends," she began.

"That's nice. I'm sure they liked you, too," he replied.

She nodded. "I hope so. Do you visit you often?" she asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really. We're all very busy most of the time..."

"The Mortal Kombat tournaments," she answered.

He blinked. "Have you been in one?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No... but I know people who have," she said ambiguously. "Are they all couples?" she continued.

He nodded. "Pretty much. Liu Kang and Kitana are engaged to be married, and Jade and Kung Lao are together. Jax and Johnny... well, they both like Sonya, but she won't choose. They're all comrades."

"What about Li Mei?" she asked him. Li Mei was her new gal pal, he realized. Of course she would ask about that.

"Li Mei is usually occupied with the Special Forces, trying to make Outworld better for some of the villages there. She trains with Bo Rai Cho, as well..." he explained, and then trailed off.

"Oh," Sareena said softly. "So, she is not taken."

He nodded. "No, she is not."

There was a pause. "I'm going to bed now," she said, her voice suddenly very... not cheery.

He wondered if it was something he had said, watching her walk away. Should he chase after her? No, she might want to be alone. It might not even be something he had said; she'd had a lot of alcohal for a first timer. Maybe the effects of such drinking were finally hitting her.

"Is Miss Sareena alright?" an acolyte asked him.

Sub-Zero paused. "I don't see what would be wrong with her..." he began.

"Oh... she just seemed upset. But if you say she's alright, she just must be fine," the acolyte said calmly, and then, resumed cleaning up the minimal mess from the bachelor party.

He began to walk towards the bedroom.

Maybe Sareena was not alright.

--

He knocked on the door, feeling awkward; it was his room. He had never had to knock on the door before.

"Um... I'm the only one in here. You can just come in," she told him.

He opened the door, and shut it behind himself. She was getting changed for bed, right there in the open, not caring that he had walked in. She was bent over, pulling up a pair of loose, dark blue shorts, her chin-length raven hair hanging in her face.

She looked at him, straightening up. "You okay?" she asked him.

"I was about to ask you that," he said, swallowing hard.

She had absolutely no sense of propriety.

"I'm alright," she replied, but her voice was still a little stiff.

Now, he was convinced of the opposite.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"What is this, another interrogation? I said I was alright. I'm al-right, o-kay?" she said, sitting down on the bed, pulling her legs up to her chest.

"Hn. Fine. Good night," he said. If she wasn't going to tell him what was wrong, he wasn't going to push her.

He had almost closed the door, when he heard her say, "I'm sorry."

He peeked back in. "About what?" he asked, wondering what she had to apologize for. Other than barging into his life, constantly distracting him from his duties as the Grand Master, and stealing all of his friends.

"That I'm keeping you from having a woman like Li Mei," she told him, watching the fire dance in the hearth. "I'm sorry... I really am. I just couldn't stay in the Netherrealm any longer."

"Sareena, I don't want a woman like Li Mei," he told her.

"Well... maybe not a woman like her, but you know what I mean," she responded blandly.

"You have no idea of what I want in a woman, so just keep that to yourself and be grateful," he snapped, shutting the door.

Sareena rolled over, looking at the large, empty spot beside her... wondering if there would always be an empty spot beside her.

_'As long as I'm not Li Mei... probably,'_ she reasoned, pulling a fur pelt over herself.

Sareena was not alright, but it was not as bad as being stuck in the Netherrealm...

--

Yeah, end of chapter three. Go me.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaangst. Review, plox.


	4. It's Tempting

Author's Note: Wow... I already got three reviews. I'm surprised... but that means I have to update. Thanks to Demon Wraith, Violet, and Virus for those. And it means some plot development, yay! Also, emo Sareena. xD Really, I do hope that I have her in character... she's never been given a lot of screen time, so it's hard to determine how she would act and what she would say. I just assume that she's sassy... because sassy women rock. But she's also a self-loather, so she's a bit emo.

Oh well. I think I'm doing okay. I just hope it's not getting repetitive!

Which is why this now has PLOT, RAWR.

Alright, here we go, chapter four.

--

**Amaranth**

**Another Sareena/Sub-Zero story by Strike To Incinerate.**

**Now with plot development!**

--

Sub-Zero had slept on a couch that night. Not because Sareena had kicked him out; she couldn't, it was his room. No, it had been his choice, not wanting to upset her further (despite her protests that she was 'alright'. For a demoness, she was a horrible liar).

It had been less than comfortable, but he'd had worse.

About mid-day, after lunch, he'd heard a commotion in the courtyard.

His reaction was delayed, figuring that Sareena had forgotten all about their 'talk', and had once again decided to goad some of his warriors into a fight.

How annoying.

She was probably just bored again...

But this time, a sentry came in, his clothes ragged and torn, limping as he tried to run, trying (and failing) to resume some sort of posture in front of the Grand Master of the Lin Kuei. He was bleeding heavily, large drops falling to the floor.

He was surprised, at first; she hadn't been that rough with them last time. Just gave them a few bruises and scrapes, maybe a dislocated shoulder, and knocked them all out, cleanly and efficiently. None of them had had noticable, bleeding wounds...

It set him off.

"I take it that Sareena is not playing with you and the others again?" he asked, raising a brow beneath the mask.

The sentry shook his head. "Grand Master... Noob Saibot is attacking the temple again," he informed him.

His eyes widened. "Of all the times not to check..." he muttered, brushing past him, near-sprinting to the courtyard.

_'Where's Sareena? Is she still in the temple? Did she have the common sense to stay inside?'_ he thought. Sareena was strong, but she was no match for the man that had once been his older brother. And it was his fight, besides.

But, as he threw open the heavy stone door, the sight that greeted him was not a pleasant one. Bodies of six or seven Lin Kuei, possibly as high as ten, littered the ground... mangled, their limbs near sliced off, disemboweled, or simply stabbed clean through the chest.

Blood stained the snow-covered stone, staining it a bright and vibrant red.

He hated the color red.

And there, fighting admist it, was the wraith clad entirely in black, stone hammer in hand, and Sareena, with her large, serrated blade.

Fighting.

He could see that she was getting tired, even from twenty feet away. Her breath was coming in heavy pants, making large clouds of foggy mist, and she was just barely dodging the swings from the hammer, moving out of the way of heavy slams only at the last second.

But Noob Saibot was able to slide away from the slashes of her sword with ease. He could hear the manic laugh taunting the demoness as she tried to keep him from getting to the temple doors.

Sareena was protecting the Lin Kuei sanctuary.

But inch by inch, she was losing.

Her foot slipped in the snow, her knee hitting the now-exposed stone, and Sub-Zero realized that a week was not enough time for her to adjust to the terrain. He could see Noob's wild grin, and the hammer, slowly coming down towards her head...

He did the only thing he could think of. He materalized an ice wall in front of her to absorb the blow and give her enough time to roll backwards... and enough time for him to jump in and finish his brother.

She did roll back as the ice shattered from the hammer's blow, covering herself and snow. Her hands were numb... she couldn't push herself up... she tried to scoot back...

but he grabbed her ankle... dragging her back towards him. Her hands clawed at the ice, snow and stone, but she only succeeded in getting dirt and ice under her nails. She tried to kick him, but he only shook her in annoyance, lifting her up by her ankle.

She was looking at the ground.

"Fancy finding you here, deserter..." Noob sneered at her.

"Let go... jackass!" she tried again to kick him, but he only laughed.

"Let you go? Now why would I do that, Sareena?" he told her. "You know what the price is for deserting the Brotherhood of Shadow... you and Ashrah will pay most dearly for this insult to our master..."

"He's not my master!"

Sub-Zero decided that this was as good a time as any to step in. "Put her down," he commanded. "Your fight is with me," he said sternly, holding up his Kori sword.

Noob laughed again. "I don't think you quite understand..." he said. "Your new girlfriend is a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow. In fact, a rather important one; she's one of Quan Chi's personal assassins," he explained. "Although, my original idea was to kill you today, Quan Chi has made it clear that capturing deserters always comes before personal vendettas... so my plan is now to drag her back to the Netherrealm for her punishment."

"I don't think so," Sub-Zero disagreed. "You'll be setting her down, and gently. She's a member of the Lin Kuei."

"She's not even human... and she wasn't born into the clan. She still belongs to the Brotherhood of Shadow," Noob responded.

"Not as long as she's my wife," Sub-Zero said smartly.

That took the Netherrealm wraith aback... giving Sareena the oppurtunity to shove her foot in his face. Startled, he dropped her... and she landed on her back, scrambling to grab her sword and stand up.

Muttering curses as his hand tightened on the stone hammer, Noob realized that he shouldn't have left Smoke with the Brotherhood.

"Don't think I won't be back for that little wench..." he warned them. "And you," he said, pointing at Sareena. "It doesn't matter who many Lin Kuei you screw. You won't ever become human."

"Touch her again, and I'll kill you, brother or not," Sub-Zero warned him, suddenly protective of her... he meant it. He didn't like the way his brother was talking to her, and he was worried that he had actually hurt Sareena.

"Because you've done so well at that before, haven't you?" Noob said snidely, before vanishing in a puff of black smoke.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking back at her.

She nodded, rubbing her cheek. "I'll be fine... I've had a lot worse," she replied. "Thanks for saving me, though..." she said.

"It's nothing," he replied. "Why didn't you tell me that you were a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow?" he asked.

"Because I was trying to forget it," she said quickly. "I hated it there... I hated that entire order. I hated having to cater to Quan Chi's every whim, eliminate anyone he considered a threat, when I wished that I could help them kill him... that's why I told you that you wouldn't understand," she explained.

"You could have put all of the Lin Kuei in danger--" he began.

"See! You don't understand!" she cut him off. "It took so much for me to come here! It was impossible for me to escape on my own! I'll never know how Ashrah did it!" she shouted at him, her eyes bright, her hands clenched into fists.

He had forgotten that Ashrah, now a warrior of light, had also once been a member of the Brotherhood of Shadow, until she'd come upon an ancient sword that had granted her a soul and shown her the error of her ways. "But Quan Chi will continue to send demons after you, won't he?" he asked her.

She nodded, grudgingly. "Yes... I don't think he'll ever get Ashrah back... but he considers me to be more important..." she trailed off.

"Why?" he asked. "And how were you able to leave the Netherrealm, if you couldn't escape on your own?"

She sighed, calming down. "I should have told you at first... I'm sorry," she apologized, and then, began to tell how she had escaped from the Netherrealm.

It wasn't a long tale; Ashrah had returned to the Netherrealm one day, and Sareena had been sent to fight her, to punish her for killing so many demons. But, they both refused to fight, and instead, only lightly sparred while talking.

And they had formed a plan.

Ashrah, who was now able to freely traverse realms, would go to the Elder Gods, and tell them of Sareena's desire to leave.

Intrigued that a demoness without a soul would want to escape so badly, especially one of such high rank in the Brotherhood, Raiden would go to investigate.

Sareena would tell him numerous secrets of the Brotherhood that could then be relayed to the Champions of Earthrealm... which would indubitably make it easier for them to defeat the Brotherhood of Shadow when the time came.

"I guess Lord Raiden never told you, or Sonya, or Liu Kang," she said. "But that's why it's so much more important for Quan Chi to get me back... it's really a matter of pride. I escaped, gave valuable information to the enemies of the Brotherhood, and I'm trying to forsake my demonic heritage. Any one of those three things is punishable by death. They'd kill Ashrah, if they could... but she was lucky enough to find that sword," she finished.

He nodded. Now it all made sense... Raiden had obviously kept those secrets to himself, saving them until they needed to use them against the Brotherhood. That was why Sonya didn't know. And Raiden could not have entrusted Sareena's safety to Liu Kang, the strongest warrior of Earthrealm; Liu Kang had to focus on being the Champion. Not to mention that Kitana would probably have had serious issues with another woman hanging around so much. No, Sareena had to be entrusted to him, the second strongest warrior of Earthrealm...

He hated when Raiden did the whole, 'I work in mysterious way... things will make sense in the end...' thing. It was annoying and stupid. He could have just told him that Sareena was a valuable asset to Earthrealm, and needed protection. He would have done it, and he wouldn't have been biased against her because of her heritage... Sonya probably wouldn't have been, either.

"I think I should apologize," he told her.

"What for?" she asked. "You haven't done anything. I'm the one who's going to get people killed... I'm the one that turned your life upside down. I think I should _keep_ apologizing."

He shook his head. "No... I think I was unfair to you. I was suspicious of your motives, because you're a demoness. If I had known, I would have been kinder to you. I didn't realize that you... well, weren't a burden," he said.

She smiled a little. "Really?" she asked.

"Really. I apologize for that, Sareena..." he told her. "And I also apologize if I made you feel like less of a person because you're not a human," he said. "You're certainly not a demoness. Not an evil one, in any case."

She was quiet for a moment... and then she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Not expecting such a gesture, he was thrown off balance, and they both landed in the snow.

But he wasn't entirely displeased. She was warm, and he liked holding her. She still smelled of incense and her skin was surprisingly soft. If there was anyone he wanted to knock him over with an embrace, it was her.

Although she couldn't see it, he was smiling, too.

--

The tender moment didn't last for very long. It only took one look around for them to remember that they had Lin Kuei warriors to honor and bury, a courtyard to clean, and then, if that was done, they could resume their normal lives and have dinner.

It was Sareena's very first burial ceremony. In the Netherrealm, when a demon died, their corpses were generally just eaten by lesser demons, or if they were lucky, their opponent had thrown them into one of the many boiling sulfur pits. No one missed a demon.

So she had watched, with an abnormal amount of interest, as some of the Lin Kuei had dressed the dead for burial, washing out their wounds and adorning them in silk uniforms, before placing them in the masoleum underground.

A buddhist priest had come to perform the necessary chants, and incense was kept burning at all times. It seemed very odd to her, but she was quiet and respectful, trying her best to mimic him and the other Lin Kuei.

They were soon finished, but for the rest of the day, everyone was somber, and the Lin Kuei temple seemed empty. It wasn't... but everyone always felt bad for a while when warriors died. Afterwards, they usually found their loyalty to the Lin Kuei more passionate than ever, and vowed to avenge their fallen brothers, making it a rather nice turnabout, in a morbid way.

Sareena and Sub-Zero took the tasks of laying food for the dead on the table, in front of pictures of the deceased warriors, and burning hell money. Sareena found the second part the most interesting, and even a little fun; she could create fire from her hands, which was useful.

"We burn money so that they dead will be able to have it in Heaven," he explained.

"Isn't Heaven supposed to be a paradise?" she asked him. "Why would they need money?"

"Stop questioning it. Religion is very important to some people in Earthrealm. It provides comfort to the dying, knowing that they are going to a better place, and it helps some people believe that their life has meaning or purpose," he explained to her.

"But the Lin Kuei do have purpose," she replied. "I mean, that's pretty obvious."

He shook his head, fighting back a smile. The warriors would have been overjoyed to hear her say that.

"And we're not even burning real money. What are they going to do with fake money in Heaven?" she continued, moving back to her original topic.

He tried to stifle the laugh that rose in his throat, but he failed, and it came out as a weird cough.

"So you do have a sense of humor!" she teased him, throwing the rest of paper bills into the fire.

"Just don't go spreading it around..." he told her. "Someone has to be the hardass."

She chuckled. "Okay, okay, I won't tell," she promised. "My lips are sealed," she said, drawing her forefinger and thumb across her mouth in a zipping motion.

--

Dinner had passed without incident. It had been quieter than usual, but the liutenant had graciously allowed Sareena to sit next to him, because she had single-handedly defended the temple until the Grand Master had arrived.

He felt proud of her. The warriors already respected her and treated her as one of their own... a claim that not many could make. Frost had been with the Lin Kuei for years, but her arrogance and narcissism had kept her from being well thought-of. Most of them were still edgy around Li Mei, if only because she was from Outworld, and they were downright frightened of Sonya... they were impartial to Jax and Johnny Cage, because those two were almost never serious. They did like Kitana, Liu Kang, Jade and Kung Lao, though... but who didn't?

He had gone on a final patrol of the halls before going to the bedroom. His brother's threats were still fresh in the back of his mind, and it was the only way to ease his paranoia.

Sareena was sitting Indian-style in front of the fire, but she hopped up as soon as she saw him.

"Why're you so jumpy?" he asked her, taking off the mask and setting it on the end table.

"Um... no reason..." she replied, dusting off her skirt. He wouldn't have said anything else if he had noticed her flexing her fingers and giving him the funniest look...

There was something different in her eyes.

"You're a horrible liar, you know," he pointed out. "You're fidgeting. What's going on? Is something wrong?" he asked, hoping that they wouldn't repeat what had happened the night before.

No, it was quite the opposite.

She practically jumping on him, pressing her lips against his.

He was startled, but her coaxing lips soon melted him, and he was kissing her back.

Until she reached behind herself and started to unlace her top.

He pulled back, and said, "What are you doing, Sareena?"

She raised a brow. "Well, I don't see how we're going to have sex with all of our clothes on," she replied, and then resumed the unlacing.

He grabbed her hands immediately, hoping that the top would not just fall of... well, part of him hoped that it would. But, no... he had to be the sensible one, since she obviously was not. "That isn't what I meant," he told her. "We're not having sex."

She chuckled. "You want to call it something else?" she guessed. "That's fine... I don't care..." She leaned in, hoping for another kiss, but he gently pushed her away. "What's your problem?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sareena... no. We can't do this," he told her.

"Why the hell not? You want to, I want to, I don't see what the big deal is," she responded quickly.

_'Well... she has a point, I'll give her that,'_ he thought, but shook his head anyway. "We've only known each other for two weeks. Most humans do not have random sex, Sareena. Most of them wait until marriage."

"We're married," she pointed out.

"I know... but we both have a lot to worry about right now. You're distracting enough as it is," he told her.

She smiled a little. "Really? I'm a distraction?" she asked him, her voice sweet.

"Yes. You're very, very distracting. It's very hard to focus if I'm thinking about you," he said honestly. "Imagine if I knew what you looked like naked. I'd never be able to think about anything else. I'd never get anything constructive done... I'd go insane," he continued. Well, the last part was exaggerating a bit, but it was better that he was stroking her ego than making her upset. She seemed to put a lot of pride into her voluptuous human appearance.

She was blushing. "Oh... that's so sweet..." she said quietly. Her hand stroked his face before she kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied.

She turned and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I need to go for a walk... to cool off," she told him, opening the door.

"Be careful," he warned her.

"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine," she said, shutting the door.

He sat on the bed, shaking his head. He wondered how he had found the inner strength to turn her down... it had been a very tempting offer. Too tempting. If she had gotten that top off, it would have been a non-issue. He was a very strong-willed man indeed.

He felt kind of like an idiot. Most people would have killed for an opportunity like that... and he hadn't been with a woman in a while...

He decided that it was time for a nice, cold shower. Really, really cold.

--

And that's the end of chapter four. Plot development. Rawr. And this chapter was by far the longest! I'm happy. Still have no idea how I'm going to end this, though. Or if it's gonna have a lemon.

Oh well. Reviews, plox.


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